A recent social media trend has been to call out cultural topics, moments in pop culture, and moments in life that you cannot stop thinking about. This is known as your “Roman Empire.” The 2018 Met Gala’s theme of “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination” is my Roman Empire.
The first Monday of May in the fashion and celebrity world (if you get an invitation) is a celebratory day known as the Met Gala, an annual fundraising gala accompanied by a ball for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute. From the selected theme to the highly selective guest list and designer outfits, the Met Gala is a star-studded event, with the evening’s afterparties giving celebrities a chance to show off yet another amazing outfit or redeem themselves from a not-so-popular one on the red carpet.
The reason I cannot stop thinking about this Met Gala in particular is because of two things: the theme and the outfits.
The theme: “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination”
Vogue discussed the impact of the theme connecting religion to imagination, stating, “By placing fashion within ‘the broader context of religious artistic production’ (like paintings and architecture), Costume Institute curator in charge Andrew Bolton, working alongside colleagues from the Met’s medieval department and the Cloisters, aims to show how ‘material Christianity’ has helped form ‘the Catholic imagination.’”
The theme was an extension of an idea that came to life with the exhibition itself. Having been to the Met, I can say the museum is beautiful. Being able to see the special and rotating installments from one visit to another is something I’ve found so exciting.
The Looks
Part of what makes the Met Gala iconic is seeing the execution of the theme by celebrities people love or hate. The 2018 Met Gala was no different, but what I found particularly impressive was watching the theme come to life. In no particular order, here are a few of my favorite looks of the night.
Blake Lively
Chadwick Boseman
Anok Yai
Priyanka Chopra
Ariana grande
Gigi Hadid
Rihanna
Sza
While some of my picks didn’t make the official best-dressed list, these outfits are what make me replay the 2018 Met Gala in my memory over and over again. There’s just something magical about the first Monday of May if you’re a fan of fashion. Even the worst looks could be a part of the theme in some way or another.
I refer to the 2018 Met Gala as my personal Roman Empire because of the way I’m always learning more about it. Every time my mind floats back to this one day five years ago, I learn about another outfit, designer appearance, and overall fashion moment in time I want to know more about. The kind of bizarre and over-the-top outfits are acceptable at award shows, but at the Met Gala, dressing like this becomes somewhat of an unofficial requirement. The Met Gala is home to fashion insanity, a creation like no other, and the ability of designers and fashion icons to share anything they want while raising money for the Costume Institute to go on and do the same.
Since its 1946 premiere gala introduction, hundreds of people have gathered outside famous New York City hotels just to get a glimpse of what people are wearing. News and social media sites post thousands of photos a moment to share the looks as they are perceived. The 2018 Met Gala was one of my favorites because of how excited I was to see the implementation of this sort of concept. The 2018 gala has a special place in my heart. I loved the theme and many of the people that were on co-chair of the gala’s (Anna Wintour) guest list.
If you enjoy fashion, be sure to check out reviews of past Met Galas. If you’re excited for the 2024 Met Gala, be sure to get informed about the newly released theme and possible guest list.
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